


Cody's Boys (Give Him a Heart Attack)

by RobinPlaysTrumpet15



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, Cody is willing to provide all the hugs, Couch Cuddles, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Mentions of Slavery, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Post-Episode: s04e13 Escape From Kadavo, Pre-Relationship, maybe? - Freeform, post slaves of the Republic arc, sorta - Freeform, they haven't talked about it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:03:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22389886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinPlaysTrumpet15/pseuds/RobinPlaysTrumpet15
Summary: Pretty much what it says on the tin. Post Escape From Kadavo.Cody can only wait and worry until he knows his brother and... general are safe. And after that, all he can do is hold them.Sequel to To Ease One Another (which you don't have to read first)
Relationships: CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi & CT-7567 | Rex
Comments: 7
Kudos: 407





	Cody's Boys (Give Him a Heart Attack)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you to sheApunk89 who suggested this story. (I think it was suggested by someone else before too, but I can't remember now.) Anyway, yeah. I hope this is an acceptable sequel for To Ease On Another.
> 
> There is a brief mention of physical harm and a couple mentions of slavery, just due to the story line from the show. If that bothers you, I apologize. Read at your own discretion.

Cody was very nearly going to have a heart attack. He was convinced of that, at this point.

For the first day, Cody had been told things were going moderately well.

Until they weren’t.

And that had been a few days ago - no more than a week, surely. But how long didn’t matter. What mattered was Rex, dragged into this nonsense still reeling from Umbara. (Not that he would admit that to anyone, even Cody.) What mattered was General Kenobi, who wanted absolutely nothing more than to help everyone he possibly can in any given situation. (No matter the risk to his own personal safety.)

What mattered was that his brother and his… his… his _something_ were being held as slaves with the colonists they were supposed to be saving.

But what was most important was that Cody had _finally_ been commed and informed the 501st had everyone back. Safely.

However, Cody highly doubted that. He didn’t honestly think anyone actually knew just what kind of shape Rex and Obi-Wan were in now. This was- it wasn’t good. Cody didn’t pretend to be Force sensitive at all, but while he wanted nothing more than to wrap his two favorite guys up in his arms, he had a horrible feeling about what he might find when he saw them again.

He was praying, pleading, with whoever or whatever might listen that he wouldn’t find blue and amber eyes shattered and broken. Not again. They’d been hurt too many times. They didn’t deserve this again.

But no matter Cody’s personal feelings on the matter, he was still the Marshal Commander. He still had to put up his strongest, bravest front, and stand tall and waiting as the 501st Legion landed in the docking bay.

Generals Skywalker and Kenobi, Commander Tano, and Captain Rex had been requested to debrief with the Jedi Council in person, face-to-face. So both the 501st and the 212th were on leave for two days, on Coruscant. This meant most of the men would have the majority of those two days to do whatever they wanted (likely sleep, eat, or… whatever either kept them occupied or out of trouble).

Four of their five main leaders, however, would spend at least the first several hours of leave in front of the council, repeating back everything they’d just experienced and gone through in the past four or five days. Cody honestly wasn’t sure just how much time had passed. Not once he’d been informed his general and closest brother had been claimed as slaves and sent away he knew not where.

And Cody was left to wait. He sat in the quarters he and Rex shared when on Coruscant and tapped through so many files and documents and pages of mission reports that the world started to blur a little bit. His eyes were stinging from overuse or-

No, it wasn’t the datapad. It was-

Him?

It took just a moment too long to realize there were quiet tears slipping down his cheeks. They wet his skin and then sat there, drying uncomfortably. But he couldn’t bring himself to move and wipe them away.

His head was hurting too, right in the middle of his forehead.

When he focussed his attention back on the datapad in his hand, it was pulled up to their most recent major mission report.

Umbara.

In a moment of righteous anger, his muscles jerked, slamming the pad down onto the hard mattress of his bed. He wished he could have thrown it against the wall, the door, the floor - anything! It wouldn’t erase the report, but then he wouldn’t be forced to look at it again. He wouldn’t have to see the name Krell or the documented list of casualties.

None of the casualties had names on them. Just numbers.

Letters and numbers. Cold, impersonal designations that once upon a time were all any of them had. Something they would hold onto, even if it meant nothing to anyone but them. Except then they’d given themselves names. Named one another and teased each other with nicknames and everything else. Until finally, they had something the Kaminoans hadn’t given them and couldn’t take away.

Until they were.

To almost no one but fellow brothers, in death, they were each just a number - a designation. Another body created and perfected to fight and die in a war that felt more and more futile by the month, the mission, the battle, the day…

It felt as if it would never end.

And for those who made it out the other side? There might not be anything better waiting for them.

A swift hiss gave away the door opening.

Cody didn’t look.

“Well, that’s finally over with,” Rex groaned as he entered the room.

Cody could hear a helmet hitting a not-soft bed.

“I tell you what,” the blond continued, “debriefing to the whole Jedi Council is not an experience that grows on you with time. It just gets more and more tiring, every time we gotta do it.”

A pause followed, filled with the sound of his brother pulling up short. The air went a little too still around them.

“Cody?”

Cody did not want to look at Rex. He did not want to know what he would see there. The man had seemed fine, hours ago - nearly yesterday now - but Cody knew better than that. Rex was just as good at putting up a front as he was. He’d seen it before - had to all but physically break it down on Umbara just to get the man to rest.

But now… in the quiet of their quarters, just the two of them, Cody wasn’t sure what he would find in his brother’s eyes.

“Codes,” Rex tried again. “What’s wrong?”

Cody could hear the distinct sound of plastoid-alloy boots stepping closer behind him.

A hand touched at his shoulder and suddenly a gasping breath was pulling its way into Cody’s lungs. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought that perhaps there were fresh tears welling in his eyes and rushing down his face.

He whirled around as fast as he could, hardly even looking at Rex before he had his arms around him. Cody pulled the blond into his body, tight as their armor would allow, and held him there. He kept his chin hooked over Rex’s shoulder, unwilling to allow his little brother out of his arms.

But thankfully, Rex seemed to have no such plans to free himself. He was understandably shocked a second or two before his own arms were wrapping their way around Cody’s shoulders. His hug was much more subdued, much gentler than Cody’s was, but he would take it. He would take whatever Rex would give him.

“Cody, you gotta tell me what’s up.”

Cody sucked in another stuttering breath, unsure what words might come out next.

“Little gods, Rex… You have to stop doing this to me,” he said on a sigh. “Both of you… You’re going to drive me to an early grave. Gave me a heart attack.”

“In our defense,” Rex huffed, “it wasn’t really our fault. They were slavers! There’s only so much we could…”

He trailed off into silence at the involuntary little noise Cody made in the back of his throat.

So instead, they stood there together, wrapped up in one another’s arms.

For a few minutes, at least.

“You know,” Rex started, his voice soft, “if anyone needs lots of Cody Hugs and Cuddles right now, it’ll be General Kenobi.”

Cody hummed an acknowledgement.

“He took it a lot harder than I did,” the blond haired clone admitted.

Finally, Cody released Rex. Or, he loosened his grip and allowed them to take just a step apart. If only so they could have a proper conversation.

Sure enough, Cody didn’t find the same self-loathing and lifelessness in those brown-amber eyes this time. Rex certainly needed sleep, but Kix had already seen to whatever wounds he had. So all in all, if he allowed Cody to just hold him a little more later, then he might be okay. But there was something in his face, something about his tone, that had Cody a little skeptical.

Rex wanted Cody, but Cody wasn’t necessarily who he needed right then.

“How bad?” Cody asked carefully. He didn’t need to say who he was talking about.

Rex shook his head minutely.

“You know him better,” he pointed out. “But he’s really… not good.”

Cody nodded.

He let Rex go completely then, prepared to step back to his side if necessary. But for the moment, his brother seemed okay. So Cody cleaned himself up some, at least to look presentable, then grabbed his bucket from where he’d left it on his bed.

Rex did the same, and then they were off, heading towards the temple Rex had just come from.

*

Cody raised Obi-Wan on his personal comlink, asking if he and Rex could meet with him. He’d gotten an affirmative and was told to just come to the Jedi’s quarters in the Temple.

The guards let them past easily, barely a glance in their direction as he and Rex entered. It was commonplace these days to see clone commanders and captains going to and from the Temple, meeting with their generals or looking for information in the library they’d been granted access to.

Cody had been to his general’s rooms more than a couple times in the years since being assigned to the man. It had been so far probably the best and worst thing to ever happen to him.

He knocked twice at the door, then punched in Obi-Wan’s personal code on the keypad. It whooshed open for him as it always had before. Rex gave him an incredulous look that was clearly begging for answers. Cody did not provide any.

Obi-Wan was sitting on the not-as-uncomfortable-as-it-could-be couch in what looked to be a well-worn set of soft sleep clothes. Cody could have almost thought he was mediating, from his lack of attention, movement, or other current activity. Except as he and Rex entered the small living space and rounded the back of the couch, he found Obi-Wan staring blankly at the opposite wall.

“Obi-Wan?”

The Jedi blinked, shifting his gaze over to the commander and captain who’d pretty much just intruded into his home. He gave a weak little smile. It didn’t nearly reach his eyes and it made Cody’s chest tighten a tad further. (As if it needed to do that anymore.)

“Hello, Cody,” the Jedi greeted gently, his tone carefully giving away nothing. “I see you brought Rex.”

And… did Cody not tell Obi-Wan that? He thought he’d mentioned it in the call. Though… perhaps he hadn’t?

“Yeah,” he agreed slowly. “Sorry, I must have forgotten to mention it.”

Obi-Wan gave a half-hearted little shrug. He shifted into the corner formed by the arm of the couch and the cushion at his back. It was a good way for him to now look much more comfortable and mentally present. Which meant it was a huge cover up and Cody could see right through it.

“It’s fine,” the man assured. “Well, make yourselves at home. I can get you something to drink if you like. Though the only options are probably water and tea…”

Cody shook his head, settling into the single living chair, situated by the Jedi’s end of the couch. Rex was left to falter for just a step before recovering and sitting gingerly down on the sofa, some two feet away from their host.

Obi-Wan smiled at them again.

“If you’re sure. Let me know if you change your minds.”

The seconds that came after weren’t tense, they were… awkward. A little weird. Which was odd to Cody because time with his general and time with his brother never felt like that anymore. They were perfectly capable of sitting together in silence for sometimes hours on end.

This lasted less than half a minute.

“So,” Obi-Wan started, breaking the silence, “Commander. Was there something you wanted to see me about?”

That had Cody shaking his head again. He wasn’t there to talk to General Kenobi. He was there to check up on his… person he cared deeply about. He was there with the intention of checking in on Obi-Wan, and potentially smother him in hugs and cuddles. If he wanted them.

There was a huge distinction between General Kenobi and Obi-Wan.

But Rex was cutting in for him before Cody could speak.

“We’re not here to speak to the General,” he said, his tone oddly soft.

Obi-Wan’s face pulled into a frown of confusion.

“Then, why…?”

“Obi-Wan,” Cody started. “I just… want to make sure you’re okay.”

A smile pulled at the auburn haired man’s features, the expression still colored in puzzlement.

“Cody, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because… the two of you were just held as slaves for a week,” Cody said as delicately as he could.

“So were Anakin and Ahsoka-”

“And I fully intend to speak with them too, if only to know for myself that they are completely fine. But I think you and I both know that what they experienced was a bit different from what you and Rex went through.” Cody fixed a look at the man, daring him to say he was wrong.

Except the desired effect was not quite achieved. Because then Obi-Wan was turning his attention to Rex and looking him over carefully.

“Are you alright, Rex?” Obi-Wan asked. His tone was just as gentle as Rex’s own had been a moment ago.

Rex opened his mouth to respond, cut off immediately by the older man again.

“I want the truth, Rex.”

Cody tried hard not to smirk at the exchange. It was maybe a little funny how Obi-Wan could read Rex like that (though it might have something to do with his Force abilities). Though if Cody thought about it, he wasn’t sure Obi-Wan had been this good at it before the mission… and that was a bit of a depressing thought.

“I’ll- I’ll be fine, General-”

“I thought you said you weren’t here to speak to the General?” Obi-Wan teased.

Rex flushed.

“R-right. Yes. We’re not, Sir-”

“Obi-Wan is fine.”

“Of course… Obi-Wan.”

Oh, Cody was loving that little exchange. Sure, he had a more pressing matter to get to, but this was part of getting there and it was kind of adorable. Rex, all things considered, was about as polite as they come, at least in regards to people he respects. (With the exception of Skywalker. Rex respected the man, but there was too much sass in the both of them for there not to be a certain familiarity there that politeness was not necessarily a part of.)

“Speaking of not lying…” Cody interrupted.

Obi-Wan turned his blue eyes back to Cody.

They looked… fine. But he knew Obi-Wan had walls there - shields that were all but impenetrable. Behind that wall of being okay, he very well could be breaking down. Perhaps he wasn’t. It was possible. But Cody had a bad feeling about it and the somehow artificial look of rightness in those stupidly blue eyes.

“Cody-”

“I know you better than this.” Cody hated to say things like that to anyone. It sounded presumptuous and more than a little rude to his own ears, but sometimes… Sometimes it was true. “Obi-Wan, what happened?”

“Nothing!”

“Bantha shit.”

Obi-Wan turned wide eyes back to Rex.

“What?”

“You can tell him, or I will,” Rex said firmly. His eyes, going a little pink around the edges, did not stray from Obi-Wan’s own.

“It wasn’t that big-”

“Yes, it was.”

“No, it wasn’t. Rex, I’ve been in worse situations that that one.”

“That’s both concerning and a little upsetting, S- Obi-Wan.”

“Rex-”

“Tell him or I will.”

“And what exactly are you looking for me to say?” Obi-Wan asked, his tone finally taking on a different quality than before. It sounded pinched, distressed, upset. “We were kept as slaves in a mine, Rex. We were treated no differently than all the others they had there!”

“Now you know that’s untrue!” Rex’s voice was rising, just a little bit. Not enough for it to be considered shouting, or even yelling. Just slightly louder, a tone from a Captain, commanding and firm. Someone to be listened to.

“What are you talking about?”

“Fine,” Rex growled. His (definitely cracking) gold amber eyes turned back to Cody sharply. “The guards would punish him for helping anyone else. Part of that punishment was the other person being whipped and beaten. Not just Obi-Wan.”

“Rex!” Obi-Wan exclaimed, sounding just a hair betrayed.

The captain’s eyes turned to Obi-Wan in a flash.

“I warned you.”

Something happened then that Cody could have gone his entire life without seeing. Obi-Wan shrunk back from Rex, curling slightly into himself, protective. It was clearly completely involuntary. Something that even one week in that hell he and Rex and the Togrutans were trapped in had instilled.

It hit Cody like a punch to the gut.

Rex caught himself quickly, floundering for something to do - something to say. Apologies cascaded from his lips. He reached out towards Obi-Wan, the motion aborted within half a second. It left him half perched and ready for action, but only able to grasp at the air in front of him, unsure what to do.

With a tremendous amount of effort, Obi-Wan uncurled himself with a shaky breath. Just watching it made Cody sympathetically tired.

“I’m sorry-” Rex breathed again, apologizing for probably the fiftieth time.

“I’m fine-”

Cody was out of his seat and kneeling by the floor in front of Obi-Wan without ever consciously making the decision.

“No,” he said. “That wasn’t fine. Obi-Wan…”

He searched the man’s eyes, watching those carefully crafted walls fell away. They seemed to just open up for Cody, leaving Obi-Wan defenseless.

But he wasn’t. Not as long as Cody was around.

“I really don’t want to talk about it, Cody,” the man finally admitted. His voice was going a little rough and scratchy.

“That’s fine,” Cody conceded. “But we still want to be here for you. Even if you don’t want to talk about it.”

“Obi-Wan…”

Cody looked to his brother so quickly he felt his neck pop a little. He sounded so awfully vulnerable. And he looked it, too.

Without another word, Obi-Wan all but launched himself into Rex’s arms. They wrapped each other up in a way Cody had never seen either of them do with anyone else. Rex would do it with him, but Cody’s never seen it happen with another soul. Obi-Wan had let Cody cuddle him and kiss him and hold him, but that didn’t happen with another living person.

So to watch them fold in together like it was completely natural had Cody’s chest aching in a way he wasn’t sure he enjoyed. But he also felt exceptionally warm all over, which was a good feeling at least. His boys were hurting - his brother and his whatever they were. They were hurting and had gone through something Cody wouldn’t honestly wish upon his worst enemy.

(Except maybe a few certain Sith, but no one but Cody ever had to know that.)

“Kot’ika…” Rex sighed at him. And if it was more of a whine, well… no one but Obi-Wan and Cody would ever have to know.

“You know, you’re the baby in this situation,” he teased.

Rex had one hand extended to him, peering over Obi-Wan shoulder with big, watery eyes.

And how could Cody say no to those eyes?

He huffed his own wet little chuckle to himself. Obi-Wan and Rex shifted, allowing Cody onto the sofa with them so he could wrap them both up in his arms and hold them close. It was mildly uncomfortable with two of them still in their armor and the couch itself not meant for three grown men to cuddle this way.

But it was still something a bit like perfect. Because despite the fact that all three of them were crying to some degree, and two of them were a little bit broken, and one of them more than a little worried… Cody wouldn’t have rathered be anywhere else than right there; holding his boys and keeping them close.

Right where they couldn’t give him any heart attacks.

At least for a little while.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this story. As always, comments and kudos are always appreciated. If you have any prompts or ideas you would like to see me try my hand at, feel free to leave them in a comment, or you are welcome to email me at robinplaystrumpet15@gmail.com or pop by my tumblr of the same name. [You can find me here.](https://robinplaystrumpet15.tumblr.com/) Thanks again and happy reading!


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